Unsolved Mystery.- A survivor of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Water Tower is perhaps the most famous landmark in Chicago. Standing watch in the heart of the city since 1869 it has been witness to much of the cities turbulent and sometimes sinister past. Constructed of limestone quarried in near-by Joliet, its very fiber is rooted in the area’s past since time began. With such an inexorable link to past memories, is it any wonder that the tower has a few unusual memories of it's own?
It is said that on occasion, in the wee hours of the morning, a gaunt and pale man can be seen peering down into the streets from the windows in the upper floors of the tower. The building is always locked tight and no one is ever found when authorities enter and search the building. It is also reported that at times, passers-by have heard a strange melancholy whistling coming from inside.
Legend has it that the tower's inhabitant (or at least this one) is the spirit of a man hanged from the tower for an undisclosed crime he committed in the late 1870's. (Photo taken in 1973 by Dr. Von Zuko)
Legend has it that the tower's inhabitant (or at least this one) is the spirit of a man hanged from the tower for an undisclosed crime he committed in the late 1870's. (Photo taken in 1973 by Dr. Von Zuko)
